WITH great concern, the Non-Aligned Movement has received the news circulated by the international media about the release on bond, by decision of a United States court, of the notorious international terrorist Luis Posada Carriles.

As is well known, Mr. Posada Carriles is responsible for many terrorist actions against Cuba and other countries, including the terrorist attack on a Cubana de Aviación airliner in October 1976 that killed 73 innocent civilians from different countries, and for which reason the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela has applied to the United States government for his extradition. Despite that, he has been in prison in U.S. territory for a simple immigration crime, while Venezuela’s application has been ignored.

The Movement reaffirms its vigorous and unequivocal condemnation of terrorism in all of its forms and manifestations, as well as all actions, methods and practices of terrorism, no matter where they are committed, whoever the perpetrators may be, against whomsoever they are committed, including those in which states are directly or indirectly involved, all of which are unjustifiable whatever considerations or factors may be cited to justify them.

The Movement once again urges all states, in line with the United Nations Charter, to comply with their obligations in the fight against terrorism by virtue of international law and international humanitarian law, by trying or, where appropriate, extraditing the perpetrators of terrorist acts; preventing those acts from being organized, instigated or financed against other states from within or outside of their territories or via organizations based in their territories; abstaining from organizing or instigating acts of terrorism in the territories of other states, or of contributing, financing or participating in such acts; abstaining from encouraging activities within their territories aimed at the commission of such acts; abstaining from permitting the use of their territories for activities of planning, training or financing for those acts; and abstaining from supplying armaments or any other type of weapon that could be used in terrorist acts in other states.

The Movement urges that all states abstain from offering political, diplomatic, moral or material support to terrorism, and in this context, urges all states, in line with the United Nations Charter and in compliance with their obligations in accordance with international law, to guarantee that the perpetrators, organizers or sponsors of terrorist acts do not illegitimately use their status as refugees or another legal position, and that their politically-motivated demands are not recognized as a reason for denying their extradition.

As was agreed upon by the heads of state and government of the Non-Aligned Movement at its Fourteenth Summit, held in Havana in September 2006, the Movement reiterates its support for the extradition application submitted by the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela to the United States government to bring Mr. Luis Posada Carriles to justice.